60-year-old cyclist tests positive and claims his wife had ‘spiked’ his smoothie

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) today confirmed that amateur cyclist Stephen Costello has been suspended from all sport for four years following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV).

Costello, a member of Abbotsford Park Road Cycling Club, tested positive for 1.3-dimethylbutylamine, ostarine and both the sulfone and sulfoxide oxidation/metabolic products of GW1516 following a Cycling Time Trials (CTT) event – the Stone Wheelers 25-mile race – in Staffordshire on 20 May 2017.

Costello asserted at his National Anti-Doping Panel hearing that his drink had been ‘spiked’ by his wife with a batch of supplements in the lead-up to the race.

The Panel did not accept this explanation and found that Mr Costello had not discharged his evidential burden in proving how the prohibited substances came to be in his sample.

Chief Executive Nicole Sapstead said: “Mr Costello’s ADRV amply showcases that, when taking part in events bound by the rules of that particular sport, all participants must also comply with the anti-doping rules.

“It is worth restating that the reasons that substances are included on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List are because they are performance-enhancing, can also pose a risk to health or are contrary to the spirit of sport. These rules are in place to protect the integrity of competition and people’s health.”

Costello is banned from all sport from 16 June 2017 until midnight on 15 June 2021.